The Rising Sun
by Waterdownblues
Summary: The Fourth knew Naruto would be great, and so bestowed the great Nine-Tailed Fox unto him. And yet when Naruto finds out, he refuses to use it - No matter what. He would be a ninja of his own skill; No bloodline, no genetic inheritance and certainly no Monster Fox - simply him, and his will to survive in a world actively against him.
1. The Start Of A Long, Long Road

The Rising Sun: Chapter 1 – The Beast Inside.

"The boy will be great," Minato looked at his mentor in question. "You can tell by his eyes, they are strong, already he is peaking at the world, questioning everything." The boy himself, only fresh out of the womb looked up at the elderly man, completely ignoring the father. Still damp with blood and other liquids, his black hair was matted to his forehead, his eyes shining a deep grey, with an intelligence they should not have this early on.

"I do believe he will be Hiruzen, I do believe he will, it's just a shame that me and his mother will not be there to see him change the world." Minato looked out of the nursery window, resignation in is features, "The beast is coming, the scouts reckon it will reach the gates in an hour. He will be the sacrifice that will save the village and yet they will not see it, they will scorn him, deny him happiness and love. He will be completely cut off from the true heart of the village; the villagers inside it. My shinobi will understand, and yet even they will push him away, only more aware of what he will be capable of."

"So you intend to seal it within him then, you are certain?" Hiruzen replied, not even distaste in his voice. It was steel, strong even in the harshest realities. "How do you plan to do it?"

Minato looked towards the small bundle of papers lying in the crib, the last notes of the Eight Trigrams seal designed by his wife Kushina, and gave a nod. "It was _her_ idea; she suggested a seal that in eventuality would allow Naruto to completely control the beast's chakra, without any adverse affects. It's complicated; even I cannot understand the intricacies of it." _Even right before the end, your mind continued to work amazingly my dear._ "Hiruzen, take care of him for the moment, I shall be back when it is time for the ritual." And with a flash he was gone; the seal notes had also disappeared.

Hiruzen looked at the child; refusing to let the pity he felt show on his face, for fear that Naruto would understand it. "Oh child, you will have your work cut out for you in persuading the masses that you are human, and not the beast that is outside the walls." The building shuddered, and he could feel the beast coming ever closer. He felt the malevolent chakra of the Nine-tailed Fox beginning to seep into his old bones, even from the many miles between them. It raised a deep unsettlement within him _. Hundreds will be lost tonight, all on a whim. Its rage is founded and yet I can only worry that destroying the Leaf will not satiate it in case Minato fails._

The village was burning, and yet Minato could do nothing, a much more important task set for him. Standing on the open roof of the Hokage tower, he stared the Nine-tailed Fox down, preparing his chakra to use the Hiraishin to flash them out of the village. He could see already piles of bodies from where the fox had crushed, ripped and tore his way through them. That was totally discounting the people that had been obliterated completely by the flames it spewed.

He moved, disappearing from the roof. There was a yellow flash on the foxes head, and Minato heard the shouts of relief from his soldiers. The morale skyrocketing. He flared his chakra, and the two entities disappeared from the centre of the village.

"Get the wounded and gather the dead! The fourth will destroy this beast, we can do no more!" One of the elite Jonin shouted, barely heard over the cries and screams of the injured and grieving. And so it begun, the gathered shinobi began setting up field shelters, earth jutsu creating the walls and ceilings, the Medic Nin laying out the injured and covering the dead with white sheets.

"I need blood over here!"

"He's dead! Leave him! There are still those to save!" The harsh reality did not surprise Kakashi, after being in the service of the most brutal of divisions; ANBU. As he flitted in and out of the torn down buildings, he looked for stragglers, pausing every so often to listen for cries for help. But he found nothing, and not willing to go out of his assigned parameter, he turned back.

Minato had never moved so fast; fear, adrenaline and the desire to protect the village. He was alone; no other men were in the vicinity. Claws and teeth and tails flew for him, faster than the naked eye could track. But he moved, he had too.

The Fox roared, and all nine of its tails came towards him, and in a blink he was gone, reappearing on the Fox's snout. _Its eyes... this isn't as much of a natural disaster as I thought. I need to warn the-_ The fist in his face was enough of a shock to break his thought. His body flew back and he landed on his back fifty feet down. Another fist came towards him and he tilted his head to the side, barely managing to avoid the strike, the force once again sent him flying.

"Who are you!?" Minato struggled back up, his eyes swollen and his nose broken, his chakra was already low from fighting the fox for so long, and he was finding slightly difficult to breathe. This meant broken ribs. _This is not good, I can't last much longer, the fox might just win after all._

The Man in the mask looked on in apathy, the one eye hole glowing red with the mangekyou sharingan. "It does not matter who I am, what does, on the other hand, is the day of judgement for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It will be a crater on the map, and there will be nothing and no one left to prove that it existed!" He had spread his arms at this point; it all looked dramatic in Minato's eyes, but it bought him time to think and to plan. The fox was still in the background tearing holy murder through the forests around the village, getting ever closer to its target. And yet Minato could do nothing at the moment. _I wish Kushina were here, but alas I will have to do. I cannot afford to let anyone else get killed. I need to get rid of him so I can get the fox._

Minato flashed towards the masked man, the infamous _Rasengan_ forming in his right hand. He charged towards him, and forced his hand into the man's stomach. He didn't move, and Minato flew _through_ him and barely spun and righted himself. "What the..."

"You cannot defeat me Fourth Hokage, face it, you and the village will perish." Minato looked at him and charged again, and as the masked man went intangible Minato flashed away, only to strike from the opposite direction with another _Rasengan_. The attack connected, the force sending the man flying. Minato took his chance and disappeared.

He once again appeared in front of the fox, after having placed the strongest sealing tags every two metres around the beast. He ran through hand seals at the speed of light. " _Kuchiyose no Jutsu."_ There was a large burst of smoke, and there stood a large toad with a vest and a sword strapped to its back.

"Gamabunta!"Minato shouted, amplifying his voice using chakra, "You've got to pin him down! I need to seal him quickly!" While he spoke he quickly formed the same set of hand seals, and summoned a smaller messenger toad, sending it to get his child, in order to perform the sealing. He hadn't the time, nor chakra to receive it himself.

" **You're kidding boy, do you have any idea what that is?! I'm the biggest toad in the summoning realm and yet it dwarfs me!"** Even with the complaints the toad leaped, pulling the ninjato from its back and taking a swipe and one of the tails. The fox roared as its tail was slashed, and used another swat what it considered an insect away. Gamabunta landed swiftly, and spat a huge bullet of water at the beast.

All the while the toad had returned with the child, its tiny form in the toad's webbed hands. Minato took the child and gained a determined look. "Right Bunta! NOW!" The toad nodded and leaped high in the air, only to crash down on top of the fox.

Minato placed Naruto down on Gamabunta's head and clasped his hands together in the ram sign

"Seal!"

A shimmering dome of light appeared over the fox, and Minato felt a massive drain in his reserves. It was like a net had been thrown over them, and it began to stick to the fox like glue. It resisted, thrashing and roaring, its tails whipping back and forth in an effort to free itself, but it wasn't to be, as Minato formed a long chain of hand seals, finishing on the boar sign.

A shrine popped into existence and he quickly placed his child onto it. _This is it Kushina, please forgive me for doing this to our son, but in order to save many one must be sacrifice._ "Naruto, I love you, grow strong and never, ever forget that there are people who will stand by you. Even if you have to search for it, happiness will come to you. I am sorry." With that he made the last hand signs to the most forbidden jutsu that the Leaf had. _"Fuinjustu; Shiki Fujin!"_

Minato was too scared to turn and look at the otherworldly being now floating behind him. The death god shoved its hand through his stomach and reached into the fox's. The gods arm then started pulling backwards. And Minato felt pain. True, excruciating pain. The arm split in two, and so did the soul of the fox. It whined in agony as it started shrinking in size. He saw half of it go into the stomach of his child, and the other half he felt go through him. And it burned, the corrosive chakra of the demon started ravaging his chakra pathways, his skin was frying, and in his head an immense pressure built up.

Minato felt himself going, it was faint at first, but the feeling grew and he felt tired and weary. In a sense he was glad to be free of the responsibility of leading the village, to be free of pain, suffering and everything else. The last thing that he saw was the fox's physical mass disappearing, and the eight trigram seal appearing on his son's stomach. In one last flash of agony the death god ripped his soul out his body.

Then he felt nothing.

The rain poured, and the thunder flashed. Crowds gathered at the top of the Hokage monument to watch the mass funeral. After searching for days through what was left of the buildings -now only rubble- the death toll was in the hundreds. It had been decided unanimously by the remaining elders of the village to hold the funerals in one sitting.

The retired third Hokage had been reinstated as therefore was required to lead the processions. "The village – A proud monument of history, has seen many tragedies befall it. The first, second and third shinobi wars inflicted a loss on us all that left trenches in our hearts, souls and minds and so shall this. However we shall return. And we will be stronger. We will take this great loss of life and we will use it. To fuel the will of fire. To not let the sacrifices that these brave men, women and children made to protect this village go to waste." Here Hiruzen paused, to hide the emotions he felt roiling inside. "We have lost those dearest to us. Some have lost mothers, some fathers. Some have lost sons and others daughters. Some have lost spouses, others young love. Yes, we have all lost something. But we also must remember that there are still people around us, to help us through our grieving. May the will of fire burn greatly in our hearts and may we rise once again out of the ashes to be born anew!"

The crowds grew smiles as he spoke, and the fire in their eyes, dampened before, starting simmering once more. There was a minute silence in which the lost were remembered. Bunches of white roses placed around the bodies on the burning stacks. The bodies were set alight, all at once. The air reeked of death. And yet people remembered the third's words.

"Kakashi, it's time to go. You haven't eaten in days, it's not healthy." Kakashi stayed silent, looking at the pyre embers long after everyone else had left. He could feel nothing, say nothing. What was there to say, the last of the truly precious people he had were gone, only he was left of his team, only he was left of his family. He had been broken, reshaped and reformed, only to be broken worse than before. He felt like there was nothing that could fix him, not now, not after everything. He was an elite Jonin, and yet he was powerless to do anything but stare, hoping that this was all a joke and Minato, Rin and Obito would pop out from behind the embers. A look of exasperation, glee and 'did you think we were dead?' respectively.

"I'm fine, I would like to be left alone for a while now," Kakashi stated- it wasn't a request. " _Please..._ " Guy looked on in worry, but didn't say anything else, turning on his heel and walking away. Hiruzen looked on in the distance, a frown marring his face. _This has destroyed him, and yet I still have to tell him about Naruto, and what his father done to him._ He tilted his hat further over his face in order to hide the tears slowly streaming down his cheeks. _What a truly horrendous day, oh my darling wife, please wait for me, only a few years left._


	2. The First Small Step

The Rising sun: Chapter 2 –

A few years had passed from the disaster that was the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, yet life did not return to normal. The village still grieved as a whole – some more stuck in the past than others. In the centre of the village, this proved itself as the crowds parted to make space for a lone boy, glares shot and insults whispered. Yet the boy listened and looked at none, a stony expression imprinted on his face. He couldn't, for if he did it would give them ammo, and it would get worse. He wouldn't be able to stand it. It killed him inside as it was to know that his home hated him.

He made his way to the Hokage tower after he had been summoned by the Hokage – the message being relayed through one of the mysterious ANBU - avoiding the people that he could, and refusing to look at the people that he couldn't. It wasn't a long journey, less than ten minutes taking the alleys and jumping through gardens.

The interior was sparsely decorated, and Naruto could not understand why. Even now, after coming in and out of this place for a long time, it still surprised him. In the reception was the main desk right in the centre, again plain and unassuming. The walls were white, with a cedar coloured border and there was a large wooden sculpture of the Kanji for 'fire' standing on a metal stand. He walked up to the desk.

"I have an appointment with Hokage-sama at ten." He said, remembering the manners that had been drilled into him by the Hokage himself. _That_ was one lesson he would never forget, ever.

"Name?" The woman asked, he knew that she knew exactly who he was, but was keeping up the farce of being the polite receptionist in front of the many shinobi wandering about.

"Naruto Uzumaki, miss." She looked through the sheet with a list of meetings that he had and allowed him to go on through. He steadily climbed the steps, his small legs having to stretch to reach the next step. In the back of his mind he wondered what is grandfather figure wanted of him but he did not let it show on his face. He still kept to stony expression that had been there all morning. He reached the last corridor and strode towards the door, intending on knocking before the Hokage shouted him in – a game they played. He quickly raised his hand to the knocker, locked his fingers around it and pulled back...

"Come in Naruto-kun." _Damn it, he wins again._ He opened to door to the cheeky smile of the Third Hokage, who then waved him in and gestured towards a seat. Naruto gladly took it. "Now, Naruto, you are wondering why you are here, I presume?" He looked over his folded hands, and received a nod in return. But the boy's attention wasn't fully on him, but the room in general. Even after the many visits, he still studied as if it was his first time in here.

"There's a new painting on the wall Hokage-ji, It's Pretty." Well, Naruto thought so anyway. It was painted on a horizontal scroll and pinned to the wall – about two metres long. The painting itself was of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was like jumping back in time however, and it was the villages beginnings depicted. The Hokage Tower still stood out in the centre, ever the beacon of power and order, but the buildings surrounding it were still in the midst of construction.

"It is rather nice isn't it, a reminder of times past. I was just a boy when this was drawn. However, Naruto-kun, there has occurred a tangent. Time to get back to the reason I called you this fine day. But first, let me ask you a question – and an honest answer would be prudent, my boy." Naruto fully focused on the Hokage then, as rarely were he so serious with him. He nodded, indicating that the question could be asked. Hiruzen, seeing this, hid a smile. _So serious, just like his father._ "What do you think of the village Naruto-kun?"

Naruto stayed silent, mulling over the question, while the Hokage stayed quiet, observing. "It's my home, and I want to protect it eventually. I want to be one of the great roots supporting the tree, I think Hokage-ji." _Well that... was rather unexpected – to say the least, If I didn't know better I'd think Danzo was sitting in his place._

Naruto did not know where that phrase had came from, but he knew he meant it.

"Naruto-kun, that was a mature answer, and on that note alone, I do believe that you are ready to step up to the responsibility of being a ninja – That is, if you wish, of course." Hiruzen could've seen Naruto's eyes light up if he had been in The Hidden Rock Village. Naruto then proceeded to lose all of the previous maturity that the Hokage mentioned, and rushed him with his arms spread wide. Hiruzen caught him, and gently hugged him back, all the while the shouts of "Yes! Yes!" resounded in his ears. But he let it slide for now, Naruto was far too happy for a reprimand.

Naruto left the Hokage tower with a slip of paper that he was to hand into his teacher the next day. As he walked the streets towards the building he loosely called home, not even the cold indifference of the villagers could get through the happiness he felt. _I will do it!_ He said to himself. _I will show them what it truly takes to become a great root in this beloved tree._

He stepped into his apartment and set the slip of paper on the table. He walked away, only to double back at the brown package already sitting there. There was a note sitting on top of said package;

 _This is everything you will need for your first day tomorrow Naruto-kun. Try not to be boisterous; you might give your teacher a headache._

Naruto looked confused until he saw the small, crudely drawn monkey on the bottom corner of the piece of paper. _I will make you proud Hokage-ji, I won't let you down. I promise._ He looked out of the window and towards the village proper. He felt his heart clench at the desire to protect it.

6 Months Later

"Right foot back! Balance yourself! Now duck!" Naruto did as he was asked, hastily dodging as he followed his impatient instructor's orders. He ducked, weaved, strafed and rolled. Yet he still got hit every time he moved to slow – which was, most of the time – "You're dead, Uzumaki." He looked down to see a fist millimetres from his throat.

"You're still hesitating brat, when I tell you to move... You move!" His teacher removed his fist and his other rocketed back towards Naruto. He inched his head out of the way, only enough so that it didn't hit him. A leg came towards him. He Blocked with his arm. An elbow strike sought to break his ribs, and he parried, using the weight behind the attack to pull his teacher further forward and step into his guard. He delivered a straight punch to his abdomen, and slid back out of his guard, only for a sudden roundhouse kick to send him flying out of the drawn circle in the sand. "Better Uzumaki. Yet this is only the beginning." He turned around to address the next student called up into the sparring circle.

Naruto watched the rest of his fellow classmates go against Hattori-sensei. Each was a repeat of what he had just been through – A short demonstration of the attacks he would be using and then following that a quick showing and explanation on which guards, parries and counters would be suitable in this particular spar.

"Feeling rough, Naruto?" The voice came from one of his few friends in the class. His name was Shikamaru. He was a short black haired boy with the laziest outlook on life Naruto had ever seen. He wondered how anyone could ever be that lazy and yet he could not come up with an answer. _It's just how he is I suppose. Besides, e can still handle himself against Hattori-sensei in sparring, so he can't be that bad._

"Something like that Shikamaru." Naruto looked the boy up and down and saw the pristine clothing. "You've not been up yet, then?" The boy shook his head and lay down on the grass with a bit of reed hanging from his mouth.

"Nope, I have no desire to go and get my ass whooped. I think I'll just enjoy looking at the clouds today. Besides, it's far too troublesome to get sweaty on a day like this." Naruto laughed, and shook his head. True enough, it was a very warm day. Naruto could have filled buckets with the amount of sweat dripping from him.

"Ha! You'll never change my friend, never."

Soon enough the class was called and the students were lead back to their classrooms. Naruto sat down next to Shikamaru and a boy called Chouji. Chouji was slightly taller than Naruto was and about four times the width - Though hell mends the one who said that to his face! However he was a nice guy, and that made him alright in Naruto's mind.

"Right settle down!" That was his teacher in the more academic studies in his class – Iruka-sensei. He was one of the people that Naruto struggled to get a read on, as at times, he could be completely indifferent to Naruto and other times, he could be normal and smile at him like he smiled at the other students. He put it out of his mind as Iruka-sensei started on one of his lectures on the history of Fire Country and listened intently.

6 Months Later

He had done it! And he was the first in the class to do so. He'd unlocked his chakra! Under the instruction of Hattori-sensei, the class had been attempting to pull out the energy from within. And he was the _first!_

"Good Uzumaki. Now that you have found it, focus on that feeling, and learn in vivid detail what you need to do to repeat that feat." He turned to the class as a whole, and spoke again. "This is the energy that you will be using most likely for the rest of your lives. When you find it, like Uzumaki has, I want you to then try and imagine containing this energy. And then repeat. You see, chakra is like a muscle, before fully exercising it; it first must be made malleable. It must be stretched – warmed up, if you will. All of your Jutsu are created from chakra, from the simple transformation technique with three hand seals, to the most complex water dragon, with forty four hand seals. Now get going!"

That was the last lesson of the day, as the activity of unlocking your chakra was a tiring one – Naruto could attest to that, as he struggled to keep his eyes open as he opened the door to the apartment. He made it to the couch before collapsing, already out like a light.

He dreamed that night, of fire and wind and of controlling these elements. He also dreamed of tails. Nine of them, and the mighty roar of the beast that rampaged through his village like it were made of paper. Yet when he woke up that morning he brushed off those dreams, and jumped from the sofa to get ready for the academy. He had more important things to worry about than a fox that was long gone.


	3. Graduation

This was it. The day he was to graduate. After four years of drills and too many written tests, here he was today, waiting in line outside of the exam room to be tested. He was excited of course, but his focus and drive had overtaken the giddiness in his stomach.

He looked around the small number of students waiting like him. His class had slowly been dwindling in size as the years went on, the weaker students who couldn't handle the strain of constant, gruelling training and the military-like conditioning either dropping out or were forced into dropping out. Hattori-sensei had explained that this generation's training programme had been increased in difficulty by immense amounts. An order from the Hokage himself, he said, and then went on to say that the reason for this was that there was high tension between Konohagakure and Iwagakure – A hidden village to the east of Konoha, separated by the neutral Kusagakure. Naruto wasn't stupid, he knew that that was another way of saying that war was about to break out.

After copious amounts of searching the academy library; he had found a few books on the second and third shinobi wars. After reading through the important bits, he had come to the conclusion that he did not want the tension to end in war. And yet if it did come to it, he knew that without hesitation, he would step onto the front lines to defend his home from any invader. A tap on the shoulder interrupted his morbid thinking. He turned and came face to face with his old running buddy Kiba.

"How've you been mate?" Kiba asked, looking entirely at ease, not an iota of tension or anxiety visible. Naruto envied him, his own tension at an all time high. He was confident in his skills; however the thought of his hard work not being enough scared him more than would have liked to admit. _No, I can't think like that, I'll be fine._ He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on his friend.

"Alright mate," He replied. "I'm fine, a bit nervous though."

Kiba barked a laugh, his hands coming up to rest behind his head. "You'll be fine mate, I know I will be for sure, we'll ace this test! Am I right Akamaru?" The small white dog bundled in the hood barked in response and Naruto smiled despite himself. Yeah, he was going to be just fine.

Just then, the main door to the classroom opened and the intimidating Hattori-sensei stepped out into the hallway, along with another man, who was wearing the standard green flak jacket of Konoha Chuunin and Jonin.

"Form an orderly queue and shut up!" Were the first words out of Hattori's mouth. The quiet murmuring that had filled the hall stopped immediately, and the assembled students all snapped to attention, shuffling as quickly as possible into an acceptable line. Naruto and Kiba had ended up in the middle of the pack – which Naruto was glad for, thinking to himself that if had ended up too far at the front he wouldn't have been able to mentally prepare himself in time. Where as if he had ended up right at the back, there was a high possibility that his nerves would have frayed before he managed to step into the testing room.

"Now," Hattori began, "This is going to be one of the career defining moments of your young lives. To put it simply; you are either going to pass and go on to become an official ranked soldier in the shinobi corps, where your own determination will measure how far you will climb the ranks. Or... you will fail and be sent to the reserve corps, where you will most likely become a career chuunin." He paused for a second to look across the apprehensive, yet confident faces of his students, and the corner of his mouth turned upwards slightly. "Right Kisuke, you're first. In you go!"

Fifteen minutes had passed when the door opened again. It wasn't the reaction Naruto was hoping for, and it slightly dampened his own spirits. He liked Kisuke; he was pleasant to be around and was a good sparring partner. He opened his mouth to offer condolences but the boy strolled right past him, not removing his eyes from the floor; trying and failing miserably to hide the black eye he had gained. His mouth shut again, and he went back to facing forward in the line, having already seen a girl at the front be reprimanded for talking.

The students entered and left the room relatively quickly with some passes and some fails. The Uchiha boy came out with a stony look on his face, a gleaming headband in his hand and a look of smug satisfaction. Naruto had never spoken to the boy personally, and if he was to be frank to himself, he didn't want to either. For some reason, Naruto just felt the other boy gave off bad vibes.

Soon enough, it was time for Naruto himself to go in. He entered cautiously, thinking carefully of where he was putting his feet. After years of dealing with Hattori-sensei, he liked to think he knew the man enough to know what he was like. His caution was well warranted, as an axe kick was barely blocked by him as he rolled out of the way. _Shit, that must have been how Kisuke got that shiner!_ He had no more time to think however as a right haymaker rocketed towards his face. Naruto moved out of the way swiftly, and returned fire with a roundhouse kick, which Hattori blocked with minimal effort.

For the next five minutes, blows were traded back and forth at a speed Naruto had no idea he could match and just as he parried a right elbow and returned with a right hook, the fist was caught and the impromptu Taijutsu bout called.

"Well done Uzumaki, that's the first part of the test over. You pass this section." Naruto looked up at his examiner and retracted his fist, slowly shifting into a bow as he and the rest of his classmates were taught. "Next, you will perform the Clone, Substitution and transformation techniques. The floor is yours." And with that, Hattori sat down on top of the desk that had been pushed aside before the exams had started and waved him forward.

Naruto did as he was asked, in the order presented. First he made the seals for the Clone technique, in which 5 clones appeared behind him. He looked behind him and heaved a sigh of relief. Well at least all those trips to the library and the training field practice my chakra control have paid off. Hattori, seeing the relief on the face of the student in front of him, let loose a small chuckle.

This had the effect of bringing Naruto to the present world with a small blush of embarrassment. He took a deep breath and went through the seals for the substitution. A small puff of smoke and suddenly in place of Naruto stood a chair, with the boy himself being on the opposite side of the room. Another set of seals and Naruto quickly turned into the Third Hokage. He held the form as Hattori looked it up and down, before quietly nodding and gesturing for the boy to turn back. "That's part two done with. The final part of the test will commence now."

Not being told what the third part of the test was, nor being given any instructions. Naruto stood there waiting for something to happen, until he noticed that Hattori's right eye was a slightly different color. He slowly shifted his eyes over the rest of the room only to find no other inconsistencies. _Must be..._

"Kai!" And sure enough, the room got a little brighter and in front of him Hattori Held out a Gleaming Konoha Headband.

"Well done kid, I knew you had it in you; just know that this is only the beginning, and there are going to be trials and tribulations a great deal more difficult than this. However for now, since you are the last student to be tested; you are free to go. You have orientation at 0800 hours tomorrow so be sharp, and get a good amount of rest."

"Yes Hattori-sensei!"

 **AN: I know the chapters aren't the longest; however I only have a small amount of time to work on the chapters, until I can get more time, I'd rather the chapters be shorter and more consistent than long and updated every few months or so. Let me know what you think! Constructive Criticism is always appreciated!**


	4. Promise Of A Lifetime

p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"Naruto strolled through the market with barely contained glee, his shiny new headband gleaming in the afternoon sun. There were glares and he usual muttering, however the boy didn't even acknowledge them; he was on cloud nine at the moment. He was a ninja! An official ninja! em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I can't wait to learn some cool techniques! /emThough he knew better than to think that being a ninja was all about flinging Jutsu around, he couldn't help it; He was still a kid after all. He looked up at the stall he had stopped outside of. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Time for some ramen to celebrate!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"As he ducked under the flap and settled down onto the stool, he wasn't in the least bit surprised to see that his order was already being slid across the counter. "Ah Naruto-kun, how's my favourite customer? I haven't seen you all week!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;""Hey Old man!" He returned in-between mouthfuls of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"I've been preparing for the graduation exam em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"all /emweek and I haven't had the chance to stop by." Just as he finished the first bowl, a second was placed in front of him. And he began to tuck in with gusto, all the while explaining how the exam had went /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;""- and then he pulled out my head protector and told me I'd passed!" He exclaimed, pointing his chopsticks at his forehead. Teuchi smiled at the blonde, and laughed along with him as he told his story./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;""Well then, I do believe that such an achievement deserves a reward. This meal in on the house Naruto-kun." And with that he turned once more to the stove, stirring the broth and adding the few spices still needed to complete his recipe. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanUsually his daughter Ayame was the one that prepared the broth, but she was shopping for ingredients at the moment. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"The boy grinned to himself as he finished his last bowl, shouting his farewells to the man who Naruto thought of as family. He ducked under the flap that separated the homely interior of the stand to the outside world and began making his way along the street once more. The sun was setting now, and he directed his feet towards the base of the Hokage monument. As he climbed up, he couldn't help but think of what was in store for him now that he was officially a ninja. Yes, he knew that he would be placed on a team under a Jonin and sent out on missions eventually, but with the veil of possible war overshadowing the village he could only imagine how things were going to change. Would he be placed on the front lines immediately?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFor all his confidence in his own skills, as meagre as they were in the large scheme of things, he knew that he was untried and untested, and the deep stirring in his gut told him that if he wanted to survive the coming years, he would have to work – em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"hard. /em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"It was with this uncertainty that he reached the top of the mountain and began to make his way to one of the stone spikes that emulated The Third Hokage's hair. He sat down and let all of his thoughts drift away as he stared out over the village. The receding light of the sun painted the village in a red glow, like the embers of a dying fire. It was one of the most beautiful things Naruto had ever seen in his short life. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;""Ah, I thought I might find you here." span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMuffled footsteps followed the statement, and seconds later the Third Hokage sat down beside him, smoke drifting lazily towards the sky and he puffed on his pipe. Naruto turned to look at the man, and received a small smile; the dying light pushing the elderly mans features into focus. From his tired eyes, starting to sink into his skull, to his weather beaten cheeks and chin. Naruto hadn't thought his grandfather had ever looked so old. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Not that I would ever say that out loud – He'd kill me. /em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;""Hokage-ji?" Naruto prompted, turning his head rather reluctantly from the mesmerizing sight to fully face his grandfather. Inwardly, he was starting to feel nervous. The solemn demeanour of the Hokage was new to him, but he waited patiently for a response nonetheless./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"Luckily, he didn't have to wait too long as the Hokage turned to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, his other still holding his pipe to his mouth. "Naruto... what we're going to discuss now is going to be difficult to process, and I ask that you save any questions you may have until I finish, can you do that?" Naruto just nodded, and turned back towards the sunset./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;""It is striking, isn't it? Sadly I don't have the time to gaze upon such a truly wonderful sight anymore, the only em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"sights /emI see now are of the endless mountains of paperwork." He chuckled to himself then, and took a deep draw of his pipe. "I spent a great deal of time trying to come up with a way to make this conversation easier for the both of us, Naruto; unfortunately I don't think I succeeded. So I will simply start from the beginning." /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"Naruto listened intently as his grandfather started to speak. "When the Nine Tailed Fox attacked, the village was in disarray. Even though we knew it was coming, nothing could have prepared us for the sheer power that the beast unleashed. With a flick of a tail, buildings full of people were crushed like ants; its roar shook the foundations of the em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"trees themselves. /emThen, Minato Namikaze appeared in front of the beast, and with a touch, transported it far from the village." Hiruzen took a breath and steeled himself. "Naruto, you will presume to know the end of this tale; that the Fourth Hokage killed the beast, sacrificing himself to save the village. That ending... is false."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"Naruto didn't dare ask the questions that were bursting forth in his mind. His nervousness increased, only matched by his confusion. But he stayed quiet all the same and let his grandfather finish the tale./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;""A demon of that magnitude cannot be killed, regardless of the strength of man. They can be sealed, however. The sealing arts are a difficult and esoteric art, Naruto-kun. I can count on my hands with fingers left over the ninja that have earned the title em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Seal Master' /emin this world. Minato Namikaze was considered em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"the best. /emSo when he fought the beast, knowing that he could not kill it, had a solution ready. He would seal it into a newborn child. That child, Naruto, was you." /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, Hiruzen would have laughed at the look of utter disbelief on the boys face. As it was however, he nodded solemnly and continued to explain. "Now before you go and accuse yourself of being the demon Naruto-kun –you aren't. You em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"are /emits prison; no more, no less. The villagers do not understand – and so they fear the unknown. I know that one day you will prove yourself and rise above the hate and the fear. Naruto-kun, I have no right to ask this of you, but I ask that you try not to hold anger towards the villagers, for it is only their ignorance that holds them back. Now have you any questions?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"Naruto said nothing for a time, and Hiruzen didn't push him. It wasn't exactly a pleasant conversation that they had just had. The elderly Hokage placed a hand on the boys shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze, before he slowly stood – Naruto could hear his bones squeak, though that was another thing that he would never say out loud. Naruto stood also, watching as his grandfather made his way towards the path. It was dark now, the sun was long gone and the fireflies were out en masse. In the blonde's opinion, the fireflies added an atmosphere that couldn't quite describe but it made him shiver pleasantly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;""Hokage-ji!" He shouted, watching as the elderly man paused, turning his head back towards the boy. "I won't use it - The fox, I mean. I won't use its powers, I'll use my own and I'll span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanbecome strong enough that I won't ever need it. That's the promise of a lifetime! em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Believe it!"/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"Hiruzen smiled, and then he laughed. "Of course, my boy, I know you will." /span/p 


End file.
